Friends,
I have started a new blog called BE MORE. The purpose of the new blog is to share insights and inspiration to empower people, companies, communities and organizations to do and BE MORE.
Thank you for visiting A Responsible Way. I hope you will visit the new blog soon!
Be well,
Tracey--
It's that time of year again, when images of the attacks on 9/11 hit the airwaves, video sharing sites, newspapers and blogs.
Images of the horror our nation endured will always remain vivid in our minds. We still talk at the dinner table and among friends about where we were, who we were with, and how we felt at the time of the attacks. It's part of this generation's American experience.
One of the images that comes to my mind is of people from all walks of life with varying religions, ethnicity, political affiliations and viewpoints coming together united as a nation. We were kind to one another. Supportive. Tolerant. Patriotic. We hugged, cried, laughed and worried as a nation. Our bonds as Americans held us together. We were one.
Unfortunately, one of the best lessons we learned that day about ourselves has gone away. In is place is hatred, intolerance, impatience and pettiness. We've grown leery of people who are different than we are. We talk over those who have a different opinion and no longer listen. We blame others even when we look in the mirror. There are communities where flying the American flag is banned, and schools no longer begin the day with the Pledge of Allegiance. We no longer care.
Pastor Terry Jones caused a lot of fervor this week when he announced his church in Florida would burn the Koran in protest. Although he has the freedoms to do this, I am glad he has canceled the event. Instead, he intends to meet with the Imam working on plans to build a Mosque and community center at Ground Zero. Hopefully they will talk about peace and tolerance, and doing the right thing for us as a people. Hopefully they will listen.
As we commemorate the 9th anniversary of the attacks on 9/11, I hope we remember that we are all Americans and as citizens of this country, need to be united in purpose. That unity will always carry the day - always. May God bless us.
This week marks the beginning of the second year of Limeades for Learning, a cause grant-making initiative from SONIC Drive-In in conjunction with DonorsChoose.org.
From now until September 30, 2010, you have an opportunity to make a difference in your community by voting for your favorite teacher's project online once a day at www.LimeadesForLearning.com. Teachers with the most votes will receive a grant from SONIC through DonorsChoose.org for materials and experiences that inspire learning. Anyone with a valid e-mail address can participate every day!
Once again, SONIC will donate $500,000 to this campaign. If there are more than one million votes cast by September 30, SONIC will unlock an additional $100,000, bringing their total contribution to DonorsChoose.org to more than $1 million.
This year, my favorite teacher's project is from Gulf Gate Elementary School in Sarasota, FL entitled "Literacy Tubs for Little Learners." This project is from my sister's school and I'm hopeful people will vote online to support Mrs. H. and her students.
Please join me in supporting public school teachers - they are a selfless bunch who give so much of themselves so students can thrive. All it takes is one vote once a day. You'll be glad you did!
A man known for protesting the Discovery Channel's environmental programming took hostages today at the corporate office in Silver Spring, MD and eventually lost his life. Luckily, all of the hostages were freed, unharmed.
James Jay Lee has protested about Discovery before and recently distributed a notice about his intent to further protest. At what point do personal passions become so obsessive that they turn destructive?
For years, organizations such as PETA have turned advocacy into an extreme endeavor. At what point is advocacy harmful?
I believe that people with different perspectives should have their voices heard. Care2 is a favorite website of mine and they do a marvelous job of promoting advocacy among its online community in a way that's civil, courteous and informative. I'm hopeful that people will continue to advocate for issues and causes that are important to them without being destructive to others.
Has it really been three months since I've blogged? Bad me.
To make up for it, I've done some good this week. I helped a few local non-profit organizations through Pepsi's acclaimed cause branding campaign, Pepsi Refresh Project.
It's a simple campaign really and anyone can get involved. Non-profits register grant requests on the Web site and consumers vote for their favorite projects. Projects with the most votes are awarded grants. It's a lot like SONIC's Limeades for Learning program, but I'll comment on that initiative in another post.
Categories of grant requests include Health, Arts & Culture, Food & Shelter, The Planet, Neighborhoods and Education. I voted for two projects: The Empty Box Collaboration, who aims to reduce landfill use by making recycling easier for consumers and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Schenectady, N.Y. who is looking to build an outdoor recreation facility.
There are thousands of excellent community organization who need funding to continue their good works. Pepsi has done an outstanding job of making it easy for consumers to be more involved and help make a difference. Vote today!
Coca Cola is a
For the Olympics, Coke will be selling beverages in their PlantBottle, a renewable and recyclable bottle that contains up to 30% plant-based materials. In addition, Coke plans to deliver beverages using hybrid vehicles and electric cars, and storing beverages in coolers that turn off at night to save energy. Eventually, the bottles will be made into recycled hats, vests and gloves and will be donated to a homeless shelter after the Games.
In addition to greener products, Coke is sponsoring an Environmental Torch Bearer program in conjunction with the World Wildlife Fund Canada and David Suzuki Foundation. The program encourages Canadian residents to do more to live a sustainable lifestyle.
This is pretty cool. What's even more amazing is Coke's CEO, Muhtar Kent, has stated that he is so into sustainability that he effectively is the company's chief sustainability officer. This is especially important as companies need the support from management to move sustainability initiatives forward.
Glad to know Coke's continuing their promise to eventually limit its waste to net Zero.
You'll be surprised to know that many sports teams embrace sustainability. According to an Environmental Leader article, eighty percent of North American professional sports teams plan to increase their sustainability programs. That's great!
A few teams and arenas are already making an impact. For example, the Philips Arena and the American Airlines Arena meet the requirements of the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. But that's not all!
Even the Super Bowl is getting on the green wagon. The NFL is taking steps to reduce the environmental impact of the Super Bowl. The 2010 Pro Bowl and Super Bowl will be powered by renewable energy, thanks to a partnership with NextEra Energy Resources. In addition, hundreds of trees will be planted in partnership with the US Forest Service and the Florida Division of Forestry. There's a plan for solid waste to be recycled and leftover materials to be donated locally. Furthermore, extra food is being prepared for donations throughout the metro Miami area.
In addition, Super Bowl XLIV will be sponsoring more than 50 charities and community outreach programs! This will make sitting on my couch in front of the TV watching the game even better!
Marketing and communications strategist with experience in brand marketing, public relations, strategic philanthropy, cause marketing, consumer products and licensing.
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